Described in the prior art are screen door and storm door closers which embody means for holding side pivoted doors open against the closing action of a door check. This closing action of the door check is effected by a coil spring which is compressed when the door is opened.
Such door closing door checks usually consist of a cylinder connected at one end to either the door frame or the door, a spring loaded piston rectilinearly displaceable in the cylinder, and a piston rod fixed to the piston and extending from the other end of the cylinder. The exposed or free end of the piston is pivotally connected to the other of the door frame and the door.
Air enters the cylinder freely as the door is opened. The air escapes at a controlled rate through a suitable orifice as the door is spring closed, thus checking the rate of speed at which the door is closed by an air cushion or damping action.
The more advanced of these prior art door closes have a mechanism for holding the door open after it has been manually swung to the open position. This is a significant convenience for a person carrying an armload of parcels or a person moving furniture through a doorway, for example. On such door closer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,988 issued May 28, 1963, to Truhon for DOOR CLOSING DOOR CHECKS.
Notwithstanding the added convenience they provide, door closers such as those disclosed in the just-cited Truhon patent have not found their way onto the market to any substantial extent. This is because the components added to the door closer to enable it to hold a door open increase the cost of the door closer to a level which has proven to be unacceptable.